A Pop-Culture Podcast

Let’s Talk About The New Doctor Strange Teaser Trailer

Right off the bat, I need to get this out of the way: I don’t know TOO much about Doctor Strange, other than he’s awesome facial hair buddies with Tony Stark. So I’m sure there is plenty in this trailer that I missed or misconstrued. I will say, however, that it’s a pretty cool look into yet another facet of the MCU and I’m looking forward to seeing how this style of magic will play out and differ from Asgardian magic/science.

There isn’t much to say beyond that, so let’s get right into the breakdown of Marvel’s Doctor Strange teaser trailer:

The trailer opens up with scenes from a car crash and a voice telling Stephen Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) to forget everything that he thinks he knows. If he’s a medical doctor that’s a lot of knowledge that he’s being told to forget, let alone all the cost from medical school right out the window.

Marvel Logo with glimpses of Doctor Strange comic images in the flipping pages.

We start to see images of Strange traveling intercut with images of him in a hospital. We’re told he’s looking at the world through a keyhole.

We get a quick glimpse of Rachel McAdams‘ as of yet unnamed character. She appears to be an ER nurse who is tending to Strange after his car accident.

Back and forth shots of Doctor Strange’s life before and after his accident culminating in a shot of his once steady surgeon’s hands now shaking after being crippled in the accident.

This is why he’s on the journey that he’s on. The comic origin tells us that he is traveling, looking for any way to fix his hands (legitimate or not) and get back to his old life.

The mysterious voice tells Strange that the reality he’s searching for is one of many.

New York flashes to a mystical looking city, most likely in the Himalayas. This is where Strange will meet the Ancient One and begin his training.

We hear that Strange doesn’t believe in chakras, or energy, or the power of belief as we see him tailing a man in odd clothes with a sword walking down an Asian looking street.

So much beard on Cumberbatch.

Tilda Swinton’s Ancient One asks Strange, “You wonder what I see in your future? Possibility”. She then punches his Astral Form right out of him. Which looks around in disbelief. Everything gets a little weird from here on out.

We get lots of Inception-esque world bending shots as Strange asks “Why are you doing this?”

We see other characters who may be other villains Doctor Strange has to face.

The Ancient One says there are other ways to save lives, inferring that he will become the Sorcerer Supreme that he is meant to be.

We get a full shot of Chiwetel Ejiofor‘s Baron Mordo. The man he was tailing earlier in the trailer.

The Ancient One puts her hand on Strange’s forehead and sends him flying back as it appears to open his eyes to his true magical surroundings. He’s told that there’s so much he doesn’t know.

More Inception style world bending.

Strange lands at the feet of the Ancient One and pleads with her to teach him.

And that’s it, an interesting trailer that does its job. It gives you the story beats you need (though I’m not sure if you’re unfamiliar with the character that you’d get them all) but leaves enough out to be intriguing. All in all, I have a pretty good feeling about this one.